CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Trustees, Annual Report for the period
From l April 2024 period start date to 31 March 2025 period end date
Charity name: Norfolk Archives and Heritage Development Foundation
Charity registration number: 1167279
Objectives and Activities
The object of the Norfolk Archives and Herlta8e Development Foundation, hereafter
referred to as 'the Charity,, as stated in its constitution, is the advancement of education for
the public benefit, in the history of Norfolk by working in conjunction with the Norfolk
Record Office l NROI a nd its pa rtner orga nisations, in particula r but not excluslvely bv
funding the following.
l. The acquisition, preservation and processing of records and printed materials worthy
of permanent retention so they can be made accessible to the public by the NRO and
its pa rtner orga nisations.
Projects and activities which engage different audiences with records and printed
materials worthy of permanent retention.
The Cha rity a ims to f und the followl ng activitles in support of its cha rita ble objectives for
the public benefit.
l. The main aim of purchasing Norfolk's archives is to ensure they are made freely
accessible, or surrogate coples for fraglle Items, to members of the public on
permanent basis by organisations such as archives, libraries, museums, and herltage
centres, There must be clear and demonstrable evldence of public interest in any
document purchased.
2. The aim of preservation is to allow archives to be accessed by members of the public
now and in the future, whilst minimising the threat of damage, theft or loss. Activities
associated with preservation include provision of Secure Storage, packaging, invasive
conservation, a nd preservation digitisation.
3. The aim of processing Norfolk's archives is to make it easier for members of the
publ ic to a ccess a nd i nterpret those archives. Associated a ctivities i ncl ude appraisal,
cataloguing, indexing, summarisation, transcription and translation or digitisation for
access.
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4. Activities such as publication on the Internet and hard copy, exhibitions, talks and
workshops support people's engagement with Norfolk's archive, the aims of which
are threefold,,
a. To enable people to learn more about Norfolk's past.
b. To develop individual capabilities, competences, skills and understandlng.
c, To strengthen communities through an enhanced sense of common identity.
The main beneficiary for all activities of the Charity is the general public. The Charity also
supports endeavours which focus on specific communities and new audiences.
All trustees have signed the Charity Commission for England and Wales trustee eligibility
declaration in which they acknowledge understanding of the Charity's purpose and rule5 set
out i n its constitution,
Achievements and Perfonnance
Grants Paid and Awarded by the Charity durlng 2024-5
During the financial year of 2024-5, NorAH has paid grants totalllng £4,086, and agreed to
spend a further £5,500. These grants support the work of heritage and community archive
organisations in Norfolk to preserve and make accessible Norfolk's archives. In total, NorAH
has given out and promised to pay over £66,200 since starting. The Charity anticipates that
in the next 12 months it will be able to extend such support, subject to success with its
f undraisin8 efforts.
Archive Purchases
In July 2024, the Charity gave £2,100 to the Norfolk Record Office towards the purchase of
several archive documents. They have been added to the permanent collections of the NRO,
where they can be freely accessed by the public. All the documents purchased were being
sold at auction, meaning they could have easily gone into private hands and therefore not
be publicly accessible. Details of the documents purchased were given in the Charity's
annual report for 2023-4. They include Stow Bridge school records, 1896 to 1904,. court
books and rolls for the following manors - Grimstone Rectory, Walsoken, 8romholme and
Keswick in Bacton, and Lopham, 1652 to 1925; sketchbook of Hilda North, later Hilda
Zigomala of Rougham Hall in Norfolk, 1885-6; business records of William Cox of Alburgh,
coachbuilder, wheelwright, and carpenter, 1895-1933. All of the documents purchased have
significa nt historica I va l ue, adding to our collective knowledge of the activities of Norfol k
residents and orga nisations.
The Charity welcomes opportunities in the future to help secure important archives for free,
public access which add to our collective understanding of Norfolk's past.
David Stannard Memorial Project
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In July 2024, the Charity paid £1,786 to the Norfolk Record Office for work to conserve two
fragile documents which matched the research interests of the late David Stannard, namelv
Norfol k's c03Stline, its erosi on, a nd specifically the lost vi Ilage of Eccles-on-sea. After
conservation work had been completed, both documents were exhibited at The Archive
Centre in Norwich.
The first document was a rental, dated 1486, for the Manor of Eccles on Sea INRO ref. EVL
673). It mentions six tenants whose holding5 were 'debased' by the sea and therefore were
given reductions in the amount of rent owed.
The second document was a lease for the Manor of Eccles on Sea, dated 1685 INRO ref.
HNR 723113}. One of the terms of the lease was the'right of wreck,. This right differs from
one manor to the next. However, we know from the conserved lease and other documents
which accompanied it what the arrangement,was for Eccles-on-sea.
The Charity welcomes opportunities to fund the conservation of fragile archives and hopes
to support similar projects in the future. Without intervention, and depending upon their
physical condition, fragile documents are either unavailable for research, or at best, require
supervision from an archive conservator for which an appointment needs to be made. As
with the two documents described above, conservation work allows documents to be freely
accessible to researchers in the NRO'S public searchroom, where they can be used to add to
our collective knowledge about Norfolk's past.
Change Minds in King's Lynn and Norwich
In July 2024, the Charity gave £200 to the Norfolk Record Office INROI towards a Change
Minds mental wellbeing project using archives targeted at young people in King's Lynn. In
September 2024, the Charity agreed to give the Norfolk Record Offlce a further £500 to help
support a similar project wlth young people aged 16 to 23 years old who are being
supported by Clty College Norwich Mental Health Services. Participants use Norfolk's
historical archives to research and develop creative responses to the lives of asylum patients
in the past, developing a deeper understanding of their own experience along the way.
The Charity is very keen for archives to be used to improve wellbeing and hopes to support
similar projects in the future.
Hall Marks: The Long Shadow5 of Norfolk's Lost Country Houses
In June 2024, the Charity offered to give the Norfolk Record Office £5,000 on condition of
successful funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for its project entitled
Hall Marks.. The Long Shadows of Norfolk's Lost Country Houses. The Heritage Fund agreed
to support the project in March 2025. Under the theme of Norfol k's lost country houses and
estates, Hall Marks over the next two years will promote the use of archives to research
local history; improve access to important sources for local history research. create and
operate two significant volunteer projects aimed at indexing land ownership records and
publishing information about Norfolk's lost country houses; deliver an exhibition about
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Norfolk's lost country houses,. and deliver several multi-session wellbeing workshops on
understandi ng our l ocal history.
The Charity is keen to support multi-faceted projects which encourage new audiences to
engage with Norfolk's archives and to make it easier for everyone to access and interpret
Norfolk's archives.
Norfolk Archives Supporter Scheme
The Charity continues to operate the Norfolk Archives Supporter scheme. It offers three
types of membership.. individual, organisation, and gift. In return for supporting the work of
the Charity, members receive various benefits, including day photography permits for use in
the Norfolk Record Office's public searchroom.
Events for Scheme members have included a visit in July 2024 to the British Archive for
Contemporary Wrlting at the University of East Anglia and free attendance at a symposium
on John Thelwall and Radical Norfolk in October 2024.
Talks Programme
The Charity continues to offer talks to organisations within Norfolk. The amount of monev
this raises has not recovered to pre-covid levels. One of the reasons for this is a reduction in
the number of talks being offered.
Financial Review
As of 31 March 2025, the Charity has total funds of £26,187. Of that, £13,504 is unrestricted.
It Is a decrease of £1,291 on the amount of unrestricted funds reported at the end of 2023-
2024,
The Charity has no reserves policy. However, it continues to aim for a minimum reserve of
£15,000, whllst carrying out activities and supportln8 projects which allow It to meet its
charitable objectives, Having a reserve of this amount will allow the Charity to respond to
unanticipated events, such as document sales and to possble reductions in support from the
Norfolk Record Office.
The charity's current sources of funding are as follows.
Individual giving via two donation boxes at the NRO and via its website.
2. The charity claims Gift Aid on eligible donations.
Grants from trusts and charities.
Donations given in return for talk5 provided as part of its lecture programme.
5. The Norfolk Archive Supporter scheme.
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Structure, Governance and Management
The Charity is a Foundation Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), and its governing
document is a constitution. The Charity does not hold any Trusts.
The constitution of the Charity allows for a maximum of 12 trustees. The chairman of the
Norfolk Records Committee (NRC) is an ex officio member of the charity's board of trustees.
The Charity's constitution allows the NRC to nominate one other trustee.
When filling vacancies, the Charitvs board of trustees invite applications which are assessed
against an agreed role description and person specification, and the needs of the charity at
that moment. At the point of appointment, the charity undertakes checks and ensures all
trustees sign el igibi l ity a nd a utomatic disqua l ification decla rati ons,
The Board has met regularly throughout the year and reviewed how effectively it has
managed to support the local archive community.
Reference and Administrative Details
Charity name:
Norfolk Archives and Heritage Development
Foundation
Other name the charity uses:
NorAH
Registered charity number:
1167279
Charity's principal address:
NRI 2DQ
The Archive Centre, Martineau Lane, Norwich, Norfolk,
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
Trustee name
Office
Ilf any)
Date acted If not for Name of person lor
whole year
body entltled to
appoint trustee If
anv)
Mrs Natalie Butler
Chair
N/A
N/A
Mr Brian Horner
Treasurer
N/A
N/A
Dr John Alban
N/A
N/A
Michael Chenery of
yorsbrugh
N/A
Norfolk Records
Committee
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Ms Helen Green
N/A
N/A
Dr Christopher Kemp
N/A
NIA
Ms India Sowe
N/A
N/A
Mr Alan Steynor
N/A
N/A
Mr Julian White
N/A
NIA
10 Mr Peter Williams
N/A
NIA
11 Vacant
N/A
N/A
N/A
12 Vacant
N/A
NIA
N/A
The Charity does not have any corporate trustees and none of Its trustees hold title to
property belongin8 to the charity.
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
The Charity does not hold any funds as custodian trustees on behalf of others.
Exemptions from disclosure
There are no exemptions from disclosure.
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above.
Slgned on behalf of the charltls trustees.
Signee I
Slgnee 2
Signature
Full name
Position
Date
1112J...... ..
Jonathan Draper, September 2025
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(HARIIY (OMMISS
FOR ENGLAND AND WAlfS
a Merli•9• D•¥glopm•rt Faw)d•ts'
1167279
Recelpts and payments accounts
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Section A Receipts and pa
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4.262
1.611
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